Admitted, it sounds a bit like science fiction. The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) created energy generating and wastewater recycling bricks which are incorporated in housing or public buildings. The smart living bricks are compatible with each other. According to the scientists, it is possible to create bioreactor walls with them. A further feature for green buildings.

Living bricks generate electricity from sunlight

Within the framework of the pan-European ‘Living Architecture’ (LIAR) project led by Newcastle University, the project aims to tackle global sustainability issues with expertise from the fields of living architecture, engineering and computing.

“The best way to describe what we’re trying to create is a ‘biomechanical cow’s stomach’,” said Rachel Armstrong, Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University, UK, who is coordinating the project. “It contains different chambers, each processing organic waste for a different, but overall related, purpose – like a digestive system for your home or your office.

Bio-reactors filled with microbial cells and algae are used to produce the smart living bricks

Containing microbial fuel cells (MFCs), each block is filled with programmable synthetic microorganisms. MFCs are bio-electrochemical systems and can be regarded as a clean and efficient method of energy production in mild conditions, 20 °C to 40 °C and a pH of around 7. With the help of interactions between in nature found bacteria and mimicking bacterial, it is possible to drive a current. The electrons can be transferred via chemicals from the bacteria in the cell to the anode with mediated MFCs. It is possible to transfer electrons directly to the anode with unmediated MFCs. A variety of chosen microorganisms are able to clean water, reclaim phosphate, generate electricity and produce new detergents.

Living bricks transform buildings into large-scale living organism that addresses environmental and energy needs of the occupants

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Furthermore, the chosen microorganisms are able to clean water, reclaim phosphate and produce new detergents. Allegedly, the smart living bricks are even able to monitor and modify air in the building and recognize occupants.

Professor Andrew Adamatzky, LIAR Project Director for UWE Bristol, is leading the UWE Bristol team, said, “The technologies we are developing aim to transform the places where we live and work enabling us co-live with the building.” He adds, “Each smart brick is an electrical analogous computer. A building made of such bricks will be a massive-parallel computing processor.”

Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, Director of the Bristol Bioenergy Centre (BBiC), at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at UWE Bristol, said, “Microbial Fuel Cells are energy transducers that exploit the metabolic activity of the constituent microbes to break down organic waste and generate electricity. This is a novel application for MFC modules to be made into actuating building blocks as part of wall structures. This will allow us to explore the possibility of treating household waste, generating useful levels of electricity, and have ‘active programmable’ walls within our living environments.”

The EUR3.2m LIAR (Living Architecture) scheme is co-ordinated by Newcastle University. In addition to scientists from the University of the West of England, the team includes experts from Trento, the Spanish National Research Council; LIQUIFER Systems Group and EXPLORA.

With a speed up to 70 km/h on a section of the longest bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Europe

The focus is often on cars when it comes to autonomously driving vehicles. Thanks to Daimler AG, variety comes to the table. In the Netherlands, Daimler Benz recently demonstrated its autonomously driving bus. During the officially first test drive on a route of about 20 kilometers, it was not needed to use the brake pedal or accelerator.

Premiere journey for Daimler’s autonomous bus on the longest bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Europe

According to Daimler, the autonomous bus stops by achieving centimeter accuracy at traffic lights. Also at the bus stop, the bus arrives in automated mode, opens and closes the doors, and drives away again. The brakes are activated automatically in a gentle way thus the autonomous bus comes to a standstill safely in case of red lights. Even if the traffic lights turn green, the bus remains standing in case of still crossing pedestrians. After moving off automatically, the bus is able to master challenges like passing through tunnels, braking for obstacles or pedestrians and communicating with traffic signals. CityPilot activates the automatic braking system that decelerates the vehicles as required in order to avoid a collision. Allegedly, Daimler Buses is the world’s first manufacturer to put a city bus into automated operation in a real-life traffic situation.

After moving off automatically, the bus is able to master challenges like passing through tunnels, braking for obstacles or pedestrians and communicating with traffic signals. CityPilot activates the automatic braking system that decelerates the vehicles as required in order to avoid a collision. Allegedly, Daimler Buses is the world’s first manufacturer to put a city bus into automated operation in a real-life traffic situation.

(Daimler AG)

The driver’s job

The only thing the driver has to do is keeping an eye on the system. A large display provides all important information for the driver in an innovative presentation style, and can concentrate fully on his or her core tasks. He or she does not need to deal with tickets, at all times. The electronic ticket system is doing this job. It is an important element of the bus’s connectivity and dispenses with the conventional selling and checking of tickets by the driver. The system provides information if the road is suitable for automated driving. Then, the driver can decide to switch on the CityPilot with a trigger button. The autonomous drive stops immediately if the driver overrules CityPilot by moving the accelerator, brake pedal or steer.

(Daimler AG)

CityPilot – Highly specialized equipment

Daimler can fall back on experiences with the Future Truck. This self-driving truck was presented on 3 July 2014 in Magdeburg, Germany. It was not needed to reinvent a long-range radar with a range of up to 200 m, electrically actuated Servotwin steering and the mirror cams which are used instead of exterior mirrors. Further cameras, Wi-Fi and the satellite-controlled GPS navigation system are additional essential tools. Two short-range radar sensors in the front section and two at the front corners cover distances from 50 centimeters to ten meters ahead of the bus. 3D vision and recognition of obstacles and pedestrians are realized with two stereo cameras with a range of up to 50 meters.

Even at a speed of 70 km/h, the driver does not steer the autonomous bus

Wi-Fi enables communication with the route infrastructure like traffic lights or railway crossings. Probably the bus can more often take advantage of “green waves” of traffic lights compared to common buses. The intelligent connectivity of the cameras and sensors allows a precise picture of the surrounding area and the exact position of the autonomous bus.

(Daimler AG)

On their website, Daimler states:The Mercedes-Benz CityPilot is not science fiction, it can already become a reality tomorrow. Even today, the bus is in public operation following an exemption from the state transport authority in Stuttgart according to Section 70 of the German vehicle licensing regulations, based on an expert report by TÜV Rhineland. It is allowed to operate on public roads despite deviating from the normal technical and service specifications.

(Daimler AG)

“…we are investing approximately €200 million in the further development of our city-bus portfolio. The advantages of CityPilot for our customers are clear: Our Future Bus operates fuel efficiently and with minimal stress on the engine. That has a positive impact on operating and maintenance costs, vehicle lifetime and availability.” Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, states.

Three sections subdivide the autonomous bus

The low-floor bus is partitioned into three sections. The so-called service section is located in the front close to the driver. The middle part, express section, provides standing room for short journeys and quick passenger flow. The rearward lounge section is intended for passengers spending more time. Their smartphones can be charged wirelessly, inductively that is.

(Daimler AG)

(Daimler AG)

The longest bus rapid transit (BRT) line in Europe

The advantages of BRT systems are that they are quick to establish for urban and traffic planners, as well as being inexpensive and flexible. Due to the fluent and safe traffic routing with less or ideally no traffic lights, a high average journey speed and thus an improved quality of life is achievable. BRT’s diminish traffic volume, exhaust gas pollution, traffic volume and traffic noise. According to experts, there are now about 180 BRT systems worldwide with a total fleet of approximately 40 000 buses. They carry around 30 million passengers every day. Above all, South America is regarded as a BRT region; its rapidly growing metropolises are making good use of BRT systems.

Eureka architects’ parametric living facade of the Ryde Civic Centre is an outstanding eye-catcher. Situated 12 kilometers from downtown Sydney, the architects were driven by several green parameters like resource efficiency and ecological integration. The green building behaves like an ecosystem and is more reminiscent of a parking facility. Situated between the thriving west Ryde neighborhood and the largest commercial center in town, this design proposal blends the two contrasting sides of the city.

Ryde Civic Centre (Eureka Architects)

With its functional, natural and topological synthesis, Ryde Civic Centre combines natural space, civic functions as well as public realm. It is anything but a monotonous and homogeneous architectural proposal. The varying combination of administrative, residential, commercial, exhibition, event and open public spaces together with a renewable energy plant integrated into a natural system reminiscent of an all-in-one package.

(Eureka Architects)

“The interface between ground and building presented possibilities that we wanted to reinforce through exchanges in water, energy and biology.” Eureka says. “We did not want to reduce any single system or program to any given moment but achieve a continuous of topological strategy which refrains from separating elements.” Eureka added.

The topographical character of the site led the architects to collect, store and guide rainwater with an integrated series of ponds. Additionally, grey water will be collected to provide as much as possible water for the irrigation of the park and green facade.

(Eureka Architects)

“The constructed wetlands took advantage of the existing topography and maintained a direct relationship with residents and the adjacent neighborhood.” Eureka emails. “As we developed a holistic approach, we realized that optimizing our design and integrating a PV system with an efficiency of 19% would allow us to collect 152,598 kWh per year, with a typical unit using about 5,600 kWh per year.” Eureka states.

(Eureka Architects)

With its soft curves, the north facades reinforce the natural flow of biological systems from the ground to the building facade. It is possible to reduce the carbon footprint by using a living wall system. Due to the freedom of the facade’s natural growth and the integrated irrigation system, the façade will turn out to be a dynamic response to climate weather and the interaction between a selection of plant species. Furthermore, the living wall system increases the insulation value. But also an improved air quality, noise damping and natural beauty contribute to well-being in many ways. On the other hand, maintenance overhead for this type of facade should not be underestimated.

(Eureka Architects)

Eureka states:

“…our design would provide the city of Ryde with a unique approach to synthesizing natural systems, an iconic relationship to nature and resources, and a direct response to density of use within its urban fabric. The city is made up of life and all elements should be treated as irreducible as we continue to discover the connectivity of all systems. The new Ryde Civic Centre maintains this approach and derives an iconic language from it, for all its residents to experience.”

Every year in the United States alone, windows consume more than 2.15 quadrillion Btu of heating and 1.48 quadrillion Btu of cooling energy

Windows are responsible for huge energy losses compared with other building surfaces. Every year in the US alone, windows consume more than 2.15 quadrillion Btu of heating and 1.48 quadrillion Btu of cooling energy. This is motivating scientific institutions and entrepreneurs for seeking energy efficient solutions.

Recently, the New Jersey-based New Visual Media Group, LLC (NVMG) announced a six-fold increase in energy efficiency by means of their dynamic window technology. Furthermore, the developed and introduced Electro Polymeric Display (EPD) technology allegedly costs roughly 90 percent less than common window alternatives on the market.

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“Cost is the greatest advantage the NVMG product has over electrochromic technology, which adds $100 per square foot to the cost of the typical window,” said NVMG Director Elliott Schlam, Ph.D. “Very few businesses and far fewer homes will be able to justify that type of expense. The NVMG technology will add only $4 per square foot to the cost of the typical window, meaning our product will pay for itself in about 18 to 24 months.”

A tightly wrapped polymer foil between two window panes with nearly any color or design keeps the heat out in the summer and reduces energy-intensive cooling demands. Vice versa, it decreases the heat demand in the winter. The roll-up and roll-out can be performed automatically or with a Wi-Fi signal. According to NVMG, a window with their dynamic window technology is six times better than the best windows on the market and 20 times better than basic window glass when it comes to the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.034. The solar heat gain coefficient is used in the United States and analogous to g-value commonly used in Europe in order to measure the solar energy transmittance of glass. For instance, 1.0 (100%) is the highest possible amount of solar energy passing through the glass. On the other hand, 0.0 (0%) represents a window with zero solar energy transmittance.

Anna Dyson, Director of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology working in collaboration with the international architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, said, “The EPD technology shows great promise. This technological approach could allow customers and building occupants more flexibility and dynamic control over the aesthetics and environmental performance of their windows.”

“There is a significant market among hospitals who wish to replace the old-fashioned curtains with glass doors where privacy screens can be electronically controlled with the click of a button. Unfortunately, the electrochromic controlled doors available today are cost-prohibitive with prices as high as $250 per square foot. The NVMG technology holds the promise to meet the strict hospital and other automated door market demands.” said Mike Bradberry, President of Door Control, Inc., a Jacksonville, Fla. provider of automatic and sliding doors focused on the healthcare industry.

New Visual Media Group is based in Eatontown, New Jersey, near Monmouth University and very close to Sheraton Eatontown Hotel.

A working paper examined Car2go and points out convincing car-sharing benefits

Car-sharing can complement mass transit, reduces the number of vehicles in cities and helps to improve air quality. We agree this car-sharing benefits are nothing we have not already heard or read a hundred times. However, recently hard data have been published in a one-way car-sharing study conducted by the University of California Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC). Allegedly, it is the first-ever multi-city study focusing on one-way car-sharing in North America.

The findings are based on gathered data from up to 9,500 Car2go members living in the US cities of Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. The study focuses on one-way car-sharing. It is offered since 2010 in North America in Austin, Texas, by Car2go. Other sharing models, for instance, round-trip car-sharing are not taken into account.

Estimated sum of suppressed and sold cars due to the presence of Car2go operating in 2015

The highest percentage of active users in high-density cities like Vancouver and Washington, D.C.

“Vehicle ownership in cities can be expensive and inconvenient, with private vehicles sitting unused approximately 95 percent of the time,” said Susan Shaheen, co-director for UC Berkeley’s TSRC. “Our three-year research effort into one-way carsharing in North America revealed that car2go is having a beneficial impact on mileage driven, greenhouse gas emissions, and the total number of vehicles in the cities we studied. Participation from car2go and its members – the largest free-floating, one-way carsharing service in North America – gave us unprecedented access to activity data and member insights into this innovative mobility service in densely-populated cities.”

In 2014, one-way car-sharing service Car2go has reached one million members with access to 12,000 Car2go vehicles in 60 cities within 29 operating Home Areas and eight countries across the globe (Car2go)

The stated findings sound enticing. In the following, a few extracts from the study. About 74 percent of the Car2go members sold an at least 10 years old vehicle – the average age is 14.4 years. Thus, cities get rid of vehicles with outdated emission systems. Depending on the city, each Car2go vehicle avoids the need for 4 to 9 privately owned vehicles. Approximately between 10 to 29 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year and city have been prevented through Car2go. Accordingly, each car2go vehicle removed between 5.5 to 27.7 metric tons of GHG annually. The GHG emissions have been reduced between 4 to 18 percent depending on the city (average 10 percent).

A 25% year-over-year membership growth rate in North America is expected by car2go because more and more people migrate from the country to the cities and use car-sharing services

The highest percentage of active users are high-density cities like Vancouver and Washington, D.C. Accordingly, cities with a lower population density exhibit a lower percentage of active users relative to their respective membership base. The city with the lowest aggregate vehicle impacts is San Diego.

In order to combine the research forces of six campus groups at UC Berkeley, the Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) was formed in 2006. Car2go N.A., LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation. Unambiguous information about the sponsor of the study are not at hand.